The Beast Within

A King's Game: Chapter Eleven

As the king commanded, I joined the hunt the next morning.

A handful of knights came with us, all armed with bows and swords. None of them looked as intimidating as the king, who was dressed in regal armor and riding his great stallion. I found it strange that the king wore armor for the hunt, for it was surely a needless and cumbersome costume outside of battle. I suppose the king had a mind for war at all times, even when it made no sense.

I had not been given a horse and rode with the king as we departed the castle and crossed miles of fields. We had just entered the woods when the king turned to me.

"Will the wolf remember commands I give to you?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"And will you make sure it does what I ask?"

That's impossible, I thought, but answered with a nod.

"A normal hunt would bring in at least four bucks," he said, "but I expect double that number with the wolf in our party. We will not return home until that goal is met. If you try to run off, we'll hunt you instead of deer. Change and lead us on."

"Your Highness, I—"

"There will be time for conversation later. Change."

In my mind, I urged the wolf to comply. It was easy to convince with the smell of trees and dirt surrounding it.

Please behave, I thought when it began to emerge.

The king's expression was blank as the wolf hit the ground on four paws.

"You are free to feast on whatever you can catch," he told the animal, "but remember what I expect of you. Any buck that has been half eaten will not count towards our tally, so I caution against gorging yourself."

The wolf huffed in reply, and I knew it had meant to be rude, but thankfully the king didn't understand.

"Show us what you can do, wolf."

Oh, what a thrill it was to fly through the woods! To their credit, the king and his knights kept pace relatively well, and only needed a howl or two to catch up when they were separated from their guide. In the first hour the wolf took down two deer and gave them to the king without taking more than a single bite. The third deer, however, was half eaten by the time the men arrived, and the king laughed at the ferocity of the animal's feasting.

"That one doesn't count," he said with a grin.

When midday came the men broke for a meal, and by that time the wolf had brought in a total of seven deer, almost twice what was caught in a normal hunt, and one short of the king's goal. As the men ate the wolf kept its distance while remaining in sight of the king, and had a pleasurable stretch and roll in the dirt. 

In my mind, I thanked the animal for its discipline but was answered with a feeling of disdain. More than once I felt a pull to leave the king and his knights behind. The wolf believed it would be easy to outrun them and go deep enough into the woods that they would never find it. I urged it to quell that desire, reminding it of a time when it ran all night long and was still discovered. If it left the hunt, the king would burn the whole forest in his pursuit.

In the end, the wolf reluctantly agreed.

It's hard to describe the way we conversed. A handful of times the wolf used human speech, but it was broken and severely limited. Usually, if we wanted to say something, words were not spoken, and we relied on a series of complex emotions to get our point across. I wondered if, with enough practice, we might be able to develop a more precise language. Outside of dangerous situations, it was rare for either of us to communicate.